Written by Linda
January 03, 2009
“I never would have imagined that my most revolutionary act would be the most traditional thing in the world,” says Johnny Symons, director and narrator of this charming and informative documentary about gay adoption. Johnny takes the audience along his journey as he and his partner William decide to start a family, then pursue the adoption of a baby boy.
But as gay adoption is obviously a controversial subject, Daddy and Papa is careful to weigh in on some of the sticky dilemmas of a complicated issue. Using his own family as a narrative framing device, Symons manages to cover a wide range of topics on the subject, such as adoption of African-American or mixed children by white men, the social stigmas of gay adoption for both the children and the parents, and the emotional effect of gay divorce on children of such families.
Parents are interviewed, and perhaps most telling, children are interviewed. One boy sadly says that he wishes he had a mother. Another boy says kids ask him why his dad is white and he is black. Another girl wishes that her two dads would get back together so they can be a happy family again. But when you listen to these kids, you realize they could be talking about any families, straight or gay.
The issues covered in Daddy and Papa refreshingly go beyond the "they're going to burn in hell for being homosexuals" rhetoric. The film delves deeper, and is not afraid to touch upon sensitive subjects that have arisen with this very timely topic. But Daddy and Papa has a gentle sense of humor, especially when dealing with Johnny and William's adoption process (the tone reminded me of Dan Savage's book "The Kid" brought to screen) that also make the film delightful to watch as well as being informative. I highly recommend it.
